Method and apparatus for the feeding of fibers

ABSTRACT

A system for feeding fibres from a fibre separation step at a first pressure to a drying step at a second, lower pressure, the system comprising a sluice feeder ( 3 ) provided between the fibre separation step and the drying step. At least an outlet ( 14 ) of the sluice feeder ( 3 ) is enclosed by a housing ( 4 ) for pressurization by means of a pressure medium in the housing ( 4 ) to a pressure that essentially corresponds to the first pressure in the sluice feeder ( 3 ). The fed out fibre from the sluice feeder ( 3 ) to the housing ( 4 ) are removable by means of the pressure medium in the housing ( 4 ) via a control valve ( 20 ), which regulates the pressure in the housing ( 4 ), to the drying step at the second, lower pressure. The pressurization in the housing ( 4 ) prevents steam to escape from the sluice feeder ( 3 ). A method for feeding fibres, the fibres are fed to a sluice feeder ( 3 ) which is pressurized from the outside by means of a pressure medium and are fed out by means of the pressure medium via a pressure regulating control valve ( 20 ) to the drying step.

[0001] The present invention relates to a system for preparation of wood fibres for feeding fibres from a fibre separation step at a first pressure to a drying step at a second, lower pressure, whereby the system comprises a sluice feeder provided between the fibre separation step and the drying step and a method for production of wood fibres for feeding fibres.

TECHNICAL BACKGROUND

[0002] When preparing wood fibres a separation of fibres from steam takes place in a fibre separation step where a cyclone or a centrifugal separator is used for this purpose. Preferably, the steam is recycled also from this step. The pressure in the system before the fibre separation is in most cases about 3-12 bar. The following process step is the drying of the fibre. This takes place at a lower pressure, sometimes as low as atmospheric pressure. In order to prevent the steam from escaping to the drying step at lower pressure a pressure tight feeding of the fibre from the separation step is required.

[0003] When treating mechanical pulp for paper manufacturing, this can easily be solved by a plug screw where the fed fibres are compressed and form a steam tight plug in the plug screw at the same time as it is further fed and subsequently may be fed to further treatment at a lower pressure.

[0004] On the contrary, when treating mechanical pulp for manufacturing of, for example, fibre board or MDF-technology, it is not possible to compress the fibres since lumps thus are formed, which cause problems at the drying of the fibre and at following manufacturing of end products. Instead a sluice feeder may be used in which the separated fibre fall down into a pocket in its rotor provided in the sluice feeder, which rotor is rotated and the fibre falls out in the lower portion of the sluice feeder where a lower pressure prevails without being compressed. The rotor and its pockets are sealed against the periphery of the sluice feeder.

[0005] A problem however is that steam escapes from the sluice feeder despite efforts to seal sluice feeders. Due to the design of the rotor with pockets it is complicated to achieve desired tightness and thus expensive. The annual costs for energy losses are great.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The problem the present invention aim to solve is to provide a is system and a method for feeding fibres from a fibre separation step at a first pressure to a drying step at a second, lower pressure essentially without energy losses.

[0007] This is solved by a system according to claim 1 and a method according to claim 12.

[0008] Thanks to the housing arranged at least partly around the sluice feeder, at its outlet, a pressure may be provided around the sluice feeder or at least around its outlet that counteracts the pressure of the steam, whereby the steam will not escape into the housing. The transition between the first pressure and the second, lower pressure has been moved from a position between the inlet and the outlet of the sluice feeder to a position between the housing of the sluice feeder and the outlet from the housing. Preferably, the housing encloses the sluice feeder totally. This also results in the advantage that the housing only needs to be sealed against the surrounding atmospheric pressure at the shaft driving the rotor of the sluice feeder. Such pressure tight circular seals are available for a reasonable price having av very high tightness.

[0009] Preferably a compressor is comprised in the system, which compress a pressure medium, for example air, and conveys the compressed pressure medium into the housing. At the compression of the pressure medium the temperature rises of the pressure medium, which temperature rise is utilized at the following drying step, i.e. the energy consumed for compressing the pressure medium is transferred to heat energy in the pressure medium, which in turn is utilized for drying the fibres. In this way the costs for energy do not increase. The drying device uses preferably hot air for the drying of the fibres.

[0010] The fibres are separated from steam at the previous process step and this is preferably done by means of a centrifugal separator, which also ought to be equipped in such a way that it can utilize the steam and be followed by process step for recycling the energy content of the steam.

[0011] In order to easily regulate the pressure in the housing by means of a control valve a first sensor is arranged to sense the pressure before and in the sluice feeder, for example at the inlet to the sluice feeder, and a second sensor is arranged to sense the pressure in the housing. If automatic regulating is desired control means may be provided in the system which compare the pressure before and in the sluice feeder with the pressure in the housing and which controls the control valve depending on the result of the comparison.

SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] The invention will now be described in an exemplifying manner and referring to enclosed drawings, in which:

[0013]FIG. 1 illustrates a system of the present invention comprising a sluice feeder positioned in the process between a fibre separation step and a drying step,

[0014]FIG. 2 illustrates a front view of a sluice feeder of the present invention,

[0015]FIG. 3 illustrates a side view of the sluice feeder in FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] In FIG. 1 a fibre separation step is illustrated by a centrifugal separator 1 and a following drying step by a drying duct 2. Therebetween the system according to the present invention can be found, which in this embodiment comprises a sluice feeder 3 surrounded by a housing 4 and a compressor 5 which feeds compressed pressure medium to the housing 4. The housing may also if desired only cover the outlet 14 of the sluice feeder 3 (not shown).

[0017] In order to avoid unnecessary repitition the system and the method will be described simultaneously.

[0018] Steam and fibres are fed through an inlet 6 in the centrifugal separator 1, whereafter steam is recycled through a steam outlet 7 and the fibres fall out at a fibre outlet 8 and through a duct 9 to an inlet 10 of the sluice feeder 3.

[0019] The sluice feeder comprises, besides the inlet 10, a rotor 11, see FIGS. 2 and 3, provided with a number of pockets 12 for receiving fibres from the fibre separation step, a delimiting periphery wall 13 and an outlet 14. The rotor 11 is rotatably arranged in the housing 4, the rotational shaft 15 protrudes through the housing 4 at least on one of its sides, which shaft 15 is connected to an engine 16 for rotation of the rotor 11.

[0020] The sluice feeder 3 is attached at the housing 4 by means of attachment portions 17, for example at the inlet 10 and preferably also at the outlet 14. In the housing an inlet 18 for compressed pressure medium, for example air, and an outlet 19 for fibres and the compressed pressure medium are present. In the outlet 19 form the housing 4 a control valve 20 is arranged by which the pressure in the housing 4 may be regulated.

[0021] The fibres fall out from the sluice feeder 3 at the sluice feeder outlet 14 to the lower portion of the housing 4 and are brought by means of the pressure medium throught the outlet 19 of the housing 4 via the control valve 20 and further to a drying duct 2. In the drying duct 2 hot air flows which simultaneously both dries and transports the fibres.

[0022] At the compression of the pressure medium in the compressor 5 the temperature of the pressure medium rises and instead of cooling the heat off, which is customary, the temperature rise is utilized in the following drying step, i.e. the energy used for compressing the pressure medium is transferred into heat energy in the pressure medium which subsequently is utilized for drying the fibres.

[0023] A first sensor 21 is provided for sensing the pressure before and in the sluice feeder 3, for example in the duct 9 or at the inlet 10 to the sluice feeder, and a second sensor 22 is provided to sense the pressure in the housing 4. A control means 23 is provided in the system which compare the pressure in and before the sluice feeder 3 and the pressure in the housing 4 and which subsequently controls the control valve 20 depending on the result of the comparison. 

1. A system for feeding fibres from a fibre separation step at a first pressure to a drying step at a second, lower pressure, the system comprising a sluice feeder (3) provided between the fibre separation step and the drying step, characterized in that at least an outlet (14) of the sluice feeder (3) is enclosed by a housing (4) for pressurization by means of a pressure medium in the housing (4) to a pressure that essentially corresponds to the first pressure in the sluice feeder (3), the fed out fibres from the sluice feeder (3) to the housing (4) are removable by means of the pressure medium in the housing (4) via a control valve (20), which regulates the pressure in the housing (4), to the drying step at the second, lower pressure whereby the pressurization in the housing (4) prevents steam to escape from the sluice feeder (3).
 2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the sluice feeder (3) is totally enclosed by the housing (4).
 3. A system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a compressor (5) is provided to supply the housing (4) with a compressed pressure medium.
 4. A system according to claim 3, wherein a temperature rise in the pressure medium due to the compression thereof in the compressor (5) is utilized when drying the fibres.
 5. A system according to any one of the previous claims, wherein a drying device (2), which uses hot air, is provided to dry the fibres that are fed from the housing (4) by means of the pressure medium.
 6. A system according to any one of the previous claims, wherein a centrifugal separator (1) is provided to separate the fibres from steam before the sluice feeder (3).
 7. A system according to claim 6, wherein the centrifugal separator (1) is provided with means for steam recycling.
 8. A system according to any one of the previous claims, wherein the sluice feeder (3) comprises a rotor (11), which is rotatably arranged in the housing (4).
 9. A system according to claim 8, wherein the rotor (11) is rotatable by means of an engine (16) provided outside the housing (4).
 10. A system according to any of the previous claims, wherein a first sensor (21) is provided to sense the pressure before and in the sluice feeder (3) and a second sensor (22) is provided to sense the pressure in the housing (4).
 11. A system according to claim 10, wherein control means (23) is present for comparison of the two pressures and control of the control valve (20) depending on the result of the comparison.
 12. A method for feeding fibres from a fibre separation step at a first pressure via a sluice feeder (3) to a drying step at a second, lower pressure, characterized in that at least an outlet (14) of the sluice feeder (3) is provided in a housing (4); the housing (4) is pressurized by means of a pressure medium; the fibres are fed into the pressurized housing (4); and the fibres in the housing (4) are fed out by means of the pressure medium via a pressure regulating valve (20) to the drying step.
 13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the sluice feeder (3) is totally enclosed by the housing (4).
 14. A method according to claim 12, wherein the pressure medium is compressed by means of a compressor (5).
 15. A method according to claim 13, wherein the compression of the pressure medium gives a temperature rise of the pressure medium, which temperature rise is utilized at the drying of the fibres. 